The present invention generally relates to problem diagnosis and solution systems, and in particular relates to a network based problem diagnosis and solution system combining both keyword search of a solution recommendation database and case based reasoning to determine applicable solutions to present to a remote user.
With the steady progress of technology have come increasingly sophisticated appliances, consumer electronics products, and the like. The sophistication of these devices, however, also gives rise to the potential for many more problems associated with their operation. While many of the problems (e.g., a faulty microprocessor) are generally not fixable by the consumer, many problems may, in fact, be satisfactorily addressed by the consumer. Thus, a dishwasher with excessive spotting or a clothes washer in which the fabric softener dispenser is not working may, in fact, have solutions that the consumer can implement at home.
With the explosive growth of the Internet has come the availability of vast amounts of information to every home with even a marginally sophisticated personal computer. In the past, however, Internet web sites offered little troubleshooting information for consumer products. For example, some previous web sites simply offered portions of product manuals in text form online, or simple keyword searching through a troubleshooting document database.
However, while the answer to a problem may lie buried somewhere in a document database, it was the responsibility of the consumer to pick the keywords that would turn up the solution. Consumers, of course, are not trained in the art of database searching. Thus, in many instances, the keyword search returned no applicable solutions, or, more frequently, far too many applicable (and non-applicable) solutions. As a result, even if the appropriate solution is in the document database, and the appropriate solution is returned from the keyword search, the appropriate solution may still be buried in a deluge of non-applicable solution documents presented to the user.
Thus, a need has long existed for a problem diagnosis and solution system that receives queries from remote users that overcomes the problems noted above and others previously experienced.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a method for problem diagnosis based on queries received from remote locations. The method includes the steps of determining applicable solution recommendations based on a diagnosis query, displaying the applicable solution recommendations on a screen of a remote terminal, and determining whether a case based reasoning tool is available to answer the diagnosis query. When the case based reasoning tool is available, the method presents the case based reasoning tool on the screen with the applicable solution recommendations.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention also provides a network based problem diagnosis tool for diagnosing problems at remote locations. The diagnosis tool includes a network interface for receiving a diagnosis query from a remote terminal, a processing circuit coupled to the network interface, and a memory coupled to the processing circuit. The memory stores instructions for identifying keywords in the diagnosis query, matching the keywords against a solution recommendation database to determine applicable solution recommendations, and displaying the applicable solution recommendations on a screen of the remote terminal. The memory further includes instructions for determining whether a case based reasoning tool is available to answer the diagnosis query, and when the case based reasoning tool is available, presenting the case based reasoning tool on the screen.